Red-eyed tree frog

[emily]

Hi all, I'm thinking about getting a couple of red-eyed tree frogs, are these easy to care for? What kind of requirements do they need (lights etc.)? I have done a little research on the net but I think i need the info from the pro's http://www.caudata.org/forum/clipart/happy.gif Any advice would be much appreciated.

P.S I believe the scientific name of these are Litoria chloris, I think this is the Australian version (not the American one Agalychnic callidryas-i think thats right)

(Message edited by emily_s on August 06, 2006)

[joseph]

Probably nearly indentical to the green tree frog(L. caerulea)...I haven't seen much about it.

(Message edited by fishkeeper on August 07, 2006)

[kara]

I would say red eyes are not a good beginner specie....

[chris]

i'd say that green tree frogs are the best to start off with.....but red eye tree frogs have almost the same needs as a green tree frog...but not quit

[kara]

they are very good escape artists! unusually good escape artists....If you start keeping them, AKE SURE your tank lid fits well and is secure....
I think I would recommend whites tree frog to start off with in the world of tree frogs, I kept mine for years, they are very easy to please.

[kara]

(forgot to write this)
definately invest in a waterfall with a misting fog machine. have lots and lots of hiding places, because they are nocturnal. Just like whites they will be active at night, which is great if you are up all hours like me...keep your temperature constant, they DEFINATELY are not as forgiving as whites... just do your research, and good luck!! I hope you have better luck than I did!! (R.I.P krammit the frog!)

[joseph]

Just checking but did you guys read that she is talking of Litoria chloris? I haven't seen anything regarding the care of these in captivity anywhere. Kara's last post sounds like it is about Agalynchnis(spelling...) but maybe the info is out there and I don't know. I'm assuming since they are closely related their requirements are probably not very different. If anything you could read about their habitat/microhabitat and get an idea of what modifications to take. Based on this site here, they might like it more humid than Whites.

http://frogsaustralia.net.au/frogs/display.cfm?frog_id=140

(Message edited by fishkeeper on August 10, 2006)

[kara]

that looks nothing like the frog I had. i beleive mine was a Agalychnis callidryas
also, taking care of whites versus red eyed tree frogs is definately very different.
And youve never heard of the captive care of wites on the internet or anywhere?? Where have ya been?

(Message edited by trincan on August 11, 2006)

[edward]

Kara,
Joseph was referring to care sheets for Litoria chloris not Litora caerulea.


Ed

[kara]

ahhhh....i see now. The Litoria chloris is a different type of red eyed frog?
sorry....

[kara]

Emily did you decide if you were going to keep some??

[emily]

sorry guys, I've been so busy looking for info about the RETF and I forgot to look back at my post http://www.caudata.org/forum/clipart/happy.gif Well I went to a reptile place here in Adelaide and the guy there breeds them. I didnt ask any questions but by looking at the tank set up that he had for heaps of baby frogs, it didnt seem too complicated. I've had trouble finding fact sheets about them, but everything that i have found seems to say that they are a lot like the green tree frog. I did find something that said they were a bit harder and was not recommended for the beginner, but... I am really dedicated to looking after these and I like the look of them more than the green tree frog. Should I give it a go?? I keep axolotls and want a bit of variety.

The info care sheet I have found (for green tree frogs-i guess it could be the same as RETF, i'll find this out) says to heat one side of the tank so it has a variety of temps so it can move to the temp it wants, it says you can use heat mats under the substrate, do these heat mats work well?? and would it heat only half of the tank? Also another idea was to put an aquarium heater in the water to increase temps and humidity, well i will have a false bottom in my tank, could i put the heater in the water under the false bottom and heat the water that way? the frog wouldnt have contact with the heater but the water would be warm, is this ok to have warm water? My tank will have a waterfall type water feature....just have to make it http://www.caudata.org/forum/clipart/happy.gif

Thanks so much for the info and ideas, i wish Australia had some kinda of forum for the aussie frogs...oh well, any feedback on my new issues would be much appreciated.

Cheers, Emily

[kara]

warmer water gets dirtier faster, a breeding ground for bacteria really. I like the under tank heating pads, but if your power goes out, they will not come back on, and you have to be careful. Frogcicles are no fun http://www.caudata.org/forum/clipart/frog.gif
There are many great books about caring for redeye tree frogs, if you can't find them at a library or bookstore order one or two online or try ebay! Good luck! I bought a waterfall/fog mist machine for under 150$ that works AMAZING. It's from ZooMed, check them out.

[edward]

Hi Kara,

You are still confusing the two types of RETF here..

As for the heat mats going out and not coming back on, this hasn't been my experience when using them.

Ed

[kara]

i didnt even refer to retf in my last post. I was commenting on waterfalls and warm water. thanks though.

(Message edited by trincan on August 14, 2006)

[edward]

Hi Kara,

From that last you made that started with the "warm water".

snip "There are many great books about caring for redeye tree frogs..... "end snip.

How is this not a reference to RETFs (and to the wrong species (A. callidryas and not L. chloris))?

[emily]

Thanks guys, my boyfriends dad makes fish tanks for a living and he told me last night that he had to fix a tank because a person used a heat mat on the bottom of the tank and it cracked. Has anybody else had this problem?

Also my tank will be custom made, I'm thinking maybe 2 foot by 2 foot and 3 foot high, but i have a few questions:
1. is this tank a suitable size for 2-3 RETF and the right dimensions for their climbing habits
2. If this tank is ok, would a heat mat under half of the tank be enough to heat the whole tank?

Also, a question about lighting...
I have been told that I would need to use UV light with these frogs and I was just wondering, does it make any difference if the light is shining through glass? I heard from somewhere that UV light cannot penetrate glass therefore wouldnt that make it useless? Do most people have their lights on top of their tanks or do they have them in hoods etc? I know having the lights in the hood would increase the temp in the tank, just slightly confused.

Cheers
Em.

[kara]

how am I confusing them? really, i'd like to know, emily is getting red eyed tree frogs, so i recommend she look for some books...thats hardly confusing species there. http://www.caudata.org/forum/clipart/happy.gif

Also, emily, thant sounds like a pretty good size, think about if you are going to have plants and vines, and a waterfall takes up a lot of space. Go as large as you can if you want to keep more than two frogs. Will it be a rectangular or hexagonal shape?

[emily]

I was thinking just plain rectangular just because i think it would be easier to work with compared to an octagonal. I'm going to make a background out of expanding foam that I have seen a lot of people make for their dart frogs on another forum. It looks really good and I think my frogs would like it (when I get them).

[edward]

Hi Kara,

Emily is getting RETF (Pelodryas (Litoria) chloris) not the RETFS that are commonly available in the USA which are Agalychnis callidryas. They are two totally different species with the same/similar common name (just like when she refers to green tree frog she is referring to Pelodryas (Litoria) caerulea not Hyla cinera or Hyla arborea). One is native to Australia and the other is native to Central America. While both are tree frogs with red eyes they live in different niches and have different care. The books you suggested for her to aquire are on Agalychnis callidryas not Litoria chloris (even though you didn't recommend a title, this is what those books contain).

Ed

[edward]

Emily,

I would agree that that sufficient tanks space for the frogs. As for the heat mat cracking the glass, it depends on the heat mat. This is most commonly seen when people use heat mats meant for people, or seedling grow heat mats. If you are concerned about it, place a rheostat (or a plug in light dimmer) between the heatmat and the wall outlet. This way you can turn down the heat to prevent the glass from getting too hot. Another trick is to use a piece of ceramic tile between the heat mat and the tank glass. In a tank of this height, you can also use a basking light as these frogs will bask if they get too cool.
If you are supplementing with a good vitamin mineral powder then the frogs should get sufficient D3 in this way but you are correct the UVB light would be absorbed if it is passed through the glass. You would need to supplement the lighting

Ed

[emily]

Thanks Ed, I'm going to try your idea with the ceramic tile. So are you saying that if I use a good vitamin powder then I wont need the UV light or should I still use it as well? Also, I assume if I use the heat mat and the basking light I would use them both on one side of the tank to get a varied temp? I am making a false bottomed tank so I can have a shallow pond area for the frogs (so the bottom would be full of water to a certain level), could I use a aquarium heater in the water instead of (or as well as) the heat mat? I have never used a heat mat before so can you set it to a certain temp or does it just come with one setting (if this makes sense) and are they water submersible?.

Thanks heaps for you help.
Em

[ryan]

hey guys, new here,

im going to get a hold on some red eyes very soon myself. i will however make a new post on the subject. all help will be most appreciated